Christmas may be over but business owners in downtown Mount Clemens are still in the giving mood.

The Downtown Development Authority on Wednesday voted to extend its policy of free parking after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day and night on weekends at least through the spring.

“We are going to continue to subsidize the parking for January, February and March and then see what happens,” said Steve Saph, chairman of the DDA’s board of directors.

The DDA -- made up of the city’s retailers, salons, bowling alley, bars and restaurants in the downtown area -- entered into an agreement with the city last fall to pay $1,500 a month to subsidize parking fees for the Roskopp lot through the end of the year. The money goes to Mount Clemens to pay for a past bond issue that financed improvements to the city’s parking system.

Although free parking is an attractive marketing tool, it has not necessarily helped bring in additional shoppers and diners, according to business owners.

“But it’s definitely not hurting,” said Paul Boone, owner of Orleans Billiards Cafe. “It’s been hit and miss. But if you have a party going on, you don’t have to worry about running outside to feed the meter.”

Offering the free service is good for public relations, according to Charles Towner, co-owner of Madison’s Pub.

“People love it, but we haven’t seen it increase our business sales,” Towner said.

Officials said with the closure last summer of the Emerald Theatre, evening and weekend demand at the Roskopp lot -- one of the city’s largest parking lots located behind the former Emerald -- declined. Mount Clemens officials have also terminated a contract with a firm hired to collect fees at the lot on weekend nights.

Even with parking fees in place, the reduction in parking lot users after the Emerald closed left the city having to make up the difference in recent months. They expect increased usage once the theater -- now know as Macomb Music Theater -- opens in March or April.

The DDA and city officials have been hoping to make additional changes in the parking system.

They recently introduced a new pay-by-phone parking meter program through a mobile application offered by Parkmobile. The app allows smartphone users to pay for parking time via their phones. For more information on the system, visit www.parkmobile.com.